Six vie to succeed George Miller in East Bay's 11th Congressional District

The race to replace Rep. George Miller in Congress is full of surprises.

State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier and Cheryl Sudduth, both Democrats, and independent Jason Ramey want to cut off federal funding for high-speed rail; the only Republican in the race, Tue Phan, would let it flow. Two candidates -- Democrats Tony Daysog and Ki Ingersol -- don't live in the 11th Congressional District. And all of the candidates favor universal background checks for gun owners.

Miller's January announcement that he would retire from the seat he has held for 40 years set off a frenzy of speculation about succeeding him. DeSaulnier instantly declared his candidacy, but as all other current or former elected officials bowed out and Miller gave DeSaulnier his blessing, five more contenders emerged.

Although DeSaulnier enjoys superior name recognition and funding, it's a scrum to see who will join him in the top two and then go head-to-head with him in November.

DeSaulnier, of Concord, says his prime asset is his experience in elected office and in the district. With six years as a state senator, two as an assemblyman, and 12 as a Contra Costa County supervisor, he wants to continue in Congress the budget and transportation focuses he embraced in the Legislature.

Daysog, of Alameda, says he brings "energy and a passion for policy," and wants to be "the Democratic equivalent of Paul Ryan in dealing with budget matters" to pare down military spending and chip away at interest payments.

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Ingersol, of Benicia, says he's "very good with working with contentious parties that are not getting along very well, getting them to work together to get the job done." His priorities are restoring Social Security's long-term solvency and protecting Medicare while moving toward a single-payer health care system for all.

Sudduth, of Richmond, says she brings 20 years of experience in negotiating deals and the ability to put her ego aside: "This isn't another notch on my belt." Her priorities are "gender equity in pay, education and access to health care" and "social justice reform."

Phan, of Danville, says he offers a "perspective of diversity and my ability to work across the aisle," which he would put to use in restoring some civility to Congress and creating jobs by reforming immigration and improving education programs, particularly in the energy industries, including oil and gas fracking.

Ramey, of Concord, said he offers enthusiasm and youth: "I can spend the next 30 or 40 years developing relationships, working with both parties." His priorities are fixing the nation's broken education system while cutting spending in other areas: "We're just spending money left and right over ridiculous items."

All of the candidates said the federal government has an important role to play in setting educational standards and ensuring equal, adequate public school education regardless of income or location, though Daysog and DeSaulnier those standards must be flexible enough to allow for some control by local districts.

The four Democrats said it would be hard to imagine a circumstance in which the United States should get militarily involved in the Ukraine-Russia crisis. But Phan said military action should never be taken off the table: "By maintaining our military superpower we actually save lives and blood." And Ramey said "when there is a direct threat to human life and liberty, we get involved."

Asked about net neutrality, Daysog said a tiered system of data speeds and prices is the only way to spur private investment in modernizing Internet infrastructure, while DeSaulnier said he agrees with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., in opposing a Federal Communications Commission proposal that would let service providers charge companies for faster delivery of their content. The other candidates gave somewhat vague answers about keeping a level playing field.

Federal Election Commission reports show DeSaulnier raised and spent far more than his rivals as of March 31. Most of Phan's money has come from fellow Vietnamese-Americans, while most of Ingersol's has come from fellow attorneys. Daysog is completely self-funded, and Sudduth and Ramey have reported no fundraising at all.

The 11th District stretches across the northwestern and central regions of Contra Costa County in the East San Francisco Bay Area, encompassing cities including Richmond, Walnut Creek, Concord, Clayton, Danville, Orinda, Pittsburg, San Pablo, Moraga, and Lafayette. Its registered voters are 50 percent Democrats, 24 percent Republicans and 22 percent nonpartisans.